A nice little bargain for the weekend....

Matt_C

New Member
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Bought a GA-100 from eBay for £40. It arrived yesterday.

Took it apart and painted the 'hour-hand' white to match the other, and tipped the edges in 'lume-paint' for night use. Replaced the battery and gasket whilst I was in there, and also done a 'NATO strap' conversion.

Just ordered a 24mm red and black fabric strap to compliment the colours on the watch-face.

So, total cost? Just under £65. It'll make a nice change from my revamped DW6600 which I wear at work.

Something a "little different"....
 

Matt_C

New Member
Very cool. How did you learn to take them apart? Fairly easy? Nice job . . .

Hi there,

It is not particularly difficult to disassemble, just used some jewellers screwdrivers, tweezers and a clean sheet of A4 paper under a strong lamp to keep track of the parts.

Time and patience. I painted the hour-hand 'in situ' and rotated the time in 20 minute increments to make sure I hadn't missed any parts. Just 'tipped' the hands with 'lume' prior to assembly. Used a fresh gasket and smeared it in silicone-grease, making sure it was perfectly seated.

Took about 90 minutes to do, including the battery change and NATO strap.

Makes a big difference. The 'red hour hand' was the only thing I didn't like about design, and now it is easier to see at night. We will see how it all works out...
 

Sengyoku

New Member
Great mod job Matt! Just out of interest, was the module hard to remove? i.e. did you have to take out any buttons or e-clips? I've never disassembled any module with hands so I wonder if they are a lot different to all digital modules...

I think it will look superb with the new band as well. I thought the cloth band series of GA-100s looked good too, so I think your mod should turn out perfectly...

Do show us the results :)
 

Matt_C

New Member
Hi Sengyoku!

The module was no problem to remove at all, it just 'pops out' same as the DW6600 and the 'Gulfman' watches I have.

The only issue I had was following the battery change and A/C reset, the hands did not align with the 'digital' time. I had bought the watch second-hand and didn't have a manual, but I found a 'manual calibration' option on the Internet, and it was easily adjusted.

I anticipate that quite a few of these watches will start showing up at a good price, as in their 'standard form' they are very difficult to use at night, and the get poor reviews as a result...
 

Matt_C

New Member
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Complete with new strap. I think this watch will be a fine replacement for the DW6600. A nice big, clear dial, simple alarm and strong LED light.

Not as bad a watch as the reviews would have you believe....
 
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